Directions · Portugal

Portugal visa appointment from the UAE

Portugal applications from the UAE go through the VFS Global centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Appointments are released without notice and taken within minutes — we watch the calendar so you do not have to refresh it.

Requests pausedThis route is on hold — see below

Why this route is on hold

The Portuguese consulate now requires a live video verification that the applicant has to attend in person. We cannot do that part for you, so we are not taking requests for Dubai or Abu Dhabi at the moment.

The same visa can be applied for elsewhere. Whether a consulate will accept you depends on your residency, so we check that before you pay anything — and we would rather say no than sell you an application that gets refused.

What this route looks like

These are our own measurements, not estimates. Where we have watched more than one centre on this route, each is shown separately — they do not behave the same.

Measured by us

28,479

Calendar checks

61

Openings caught

2026-06-16

Last opening

Application centres

The same visa, the same fee — the difference is which building you attend, and how the calendar there has actually behaved.

CentreCalendar checksOpeningsLast opening
Dubai23,4290
Abu Dhabi5,050612026-06-16

Visa types

The categories VFS Global accepts on this route. They are the same at every centre listed above.

Visa typeProcessing
Tourist15 calendar days
Business15 calendar days
Medical Treatment15 calendar days
Training Purpose15 calendar days
Airport Transit15 calendar days
D1 - Subordinate Work Activity90 days
D2 - Independent Professional Activity Or Migrants Entrepreneurs90 days
D3 - Teaching Purposes, Highly Qualified Subordinated/cultural Activity90 days
D4 - Study, Higher Education, Students Exchange, Internships, Volunteer Work and Research90 days
D6 - Family Reunification90 days
D7 - Fixed Residence (Retirement, Religious Purpose Or Individual Revenues)90 days
DR - Professional Activity Done Remotely - “Digital Nomads”90 days
DF - Accompanying Family Member Applying for a Residence Visa90 days
DP - Job Seeker Visa– Up to 120 Days90 days
E1 - Medical Treatment90 days
E2 - Transfer Of Workers To The World Trade Organization (WTO)90 days
E3 - Independent Work Purpose (Less Than 6 Months)90 days
E4 - Scientific Research, Academic Teaching, and Highly Qualified Activity Purposes90 days
E5 - Amateur Sports Purposes90 days
E6 - Study, Study Exchange, Unpaid Professional Internship, Voluntary Service and International Agreement With Pt90 days
E7 - To Accompany Patient in Medical Treatment90 days
E8 - Seasonal Work Purpose90 days
E9 - Professional Training90 days
ER - Professional Activity Done Remotely - “Digital Nomads”90 days
EF - Accompanying Family Member Holding Temporary Stay Visa90 days

Consular fees

As published by VFS Global. The fee depends on category, age and nationality, so the tables are reproduced rather than reduced to a single figure. The application centre charges its own service fee on top.

Charge TypeAmountRemarks
EUROAED
Visa Fees90390.50For each application
Children between 6-12 years45195.50For each application
Armenia, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Georgia, Ukrainian, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Republic of Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia Nationals for short stay35152For each application
Service Fees33143.08For each application
Appeal75325.50For each application
Admin Fee417.34For each application
TypeArticleVisaFee (€)
Children under 6 years62.3.a0
Students and teachers with travel study purposes62.3.b0*
Researchers to do scientific investigation in the EU62.3.c0**
Representatives of non-profit-making organizations < 25 years62.3.d0***
Family EU (Family member of EU/EEA and Switzerland nationals)62.4.b0
Family EU husband/spouse62.4.b.i0
Family EU under 21 or dependent62.4.b.iii0
Family EU dependent direct ascending (duly proved)62.4.b.iv0
CHARGE TYPEAMOUNT IN EURAMOUNT IN AEDREMARKS
Long term E – visa110477For each application
Long Term D- visa110477For each application
Appeal75325.50For each application
Admin Fee417.34For each application
Service Fees-AED 143.08For each application
CHARGE TYPEARTICLEVISAFEE (€)
E1/E7 Patients and caretakers with agreements of health cooperation with PT62.4.d0
D3 Scientific investigation/Educational activity PhD/High qualified activity900
E4 Scientific investigation/High qualified activity less 1 year62.4.f0
D4 Scholarships sponsored by the Portuguese Republic62.4.a0
D6 Family reunification direct descendants SEF letter62.4.e0*

Questions people ask about this route

How often do Portugal appointments actually open in the UAE?

Rarely, and without warning. Across 28,479 calendar checks we caught 61 openings - roughly one in 467 checks. The most recent one we recorded was on 2026-06-16. That is a measurement of our own monitoring, not an estimate, and it is why refreshing the page by hand almost never works: the window is minutes wide and it does not announce itself.

Dubai or Abu Dhabi - which centre should I apply at?

The visa categories and the fees are identical, so the choice is about the building you attend and how its calendar behaves. On our figures Abu Dhabi released the most: 61 openings over 5,050 checks, against 0 over 23,429 at Dubai. We watch both, so you do not have to pick blind - tell us if one is impractical for you and we will exclude it.

How long does a Portugal visa take to process from the UAE?

VFS Global publishes this for the route: The processing time for an application at the Embassy of Portugal is a minimum of 15 calendar days. Please note that all those applying for a visa for Portugal need to have at least 15 days between the date of application and date of travel. Applications will not be accepted if this requirement is not adhered to. That clock starts at your appointment, not at your request to us - which is exactly why the appointment date is the part worth fighting for. An appointment six weeks out pushes the decision six weeks out with it.

What does it cost, and when do I pay?

Two separate things. The consular fee and the centre's service charge go to VFS Global and the consulate on the day - the published fee tables are above, and the amount depends on category, age and nationality. Our own fee is separate, quoted per request, and charged only after an appointment is booked and confirmed. If nothing opens, you owe nothing. Booking through the official system is free; what you are paying us for is the watching and the paperwork.

Do you need my VFS password or the code from my email?

No password, and the verification code stays with you. VFS now sends a one-time code at the confirmation step, and you are the one who reads it out at that moment - it takes a few seconds and it means nobody is acting as you behind your back. Any service asking you to hand over an account password on a web form should worry you, whoever it is.

Can you guarantee me an appointment?

No, and anyone who does is selling you something they do not control. The consulate decides how many appointments exist and when they appear; we control only how fast they are noticed and taken. What we can promise is the shape of the deal: we watch, and you pay if and only if an appointment ends up booked in your name.

Will this get my VFS account blocked?

Refreshing the booking page dozens of times an hour is what triggers the "unusual activity" and "permission issue" errors people run into - we have documented what each of those codes actually means. We work within what the account can take, which is the whole point of doing it with tooling instead of by hand at 3am. Your application is submitted through the official system like anyone else's.

Why can I not order this route right now?

The Portuguese consulate now requires a live video verification that the applicant has to attend in person. We cannot do that part for you, so we are not taking requests for Dubai or Abu Dhabi at the moment. We have left this page up because the requirement may change and because the alternatives are worth knowing about, but we are not taking requests on it while that stands. Selling you a route we cannot deliver would be the fastest way to deserve the reputation this industry already has.

Other routes

The same country of application, a different destination — or the same visa, applied for from somewhere else.